Galactic 03’ to Fly Three Virgin Galactic “Founder” Customers
Flight Window Opens September 8, 2023
Company’s Fourth Spaceflight in Four Months
Orange County, California, August 28, 2023 – Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPCE) today announced the ‘Galactic 03’ flight window will open on September 8, 2023, continuing a monthly cadence of spaceflights. This would be the Company’s fourth spaceflight in four months.
The three ‘Galactic 03’ crew members are the first of Virgin Galactic’s group of ‘Founder’ astronauts – the first customers whose forward-thinking vision and early ticket purchases helped make the dream of regular commercial spaceflights a reality.
The ‘Galactic 03’ crew bought their tickets as early as 2005 and, since then, have been an active part of the Company’s vibrant Future Astronaut community. This community – comprised of approximately 800 individuals representing over 60 different countries – enjoys access to distinctive experiences designed to inspire and to enrich their spaceflight experience.
The pilots for ‘Galactic 03’ are VSS Unity Commander Nicola Pecile, VSS Unity Pilot Michael Masucci, and the Astronaut Instructor is Colin Bennett.
In the past twelve weeks, Virgin Galactic has introduced eleven new astronauts to the world. Following the ‘Galactic 03’ spaceflight, the customers on board would become Virgin Galactic astronauts 014, 015 and 016.
The newest “Sun and Fun” additions will connect Los Angeles and San Diego with Kalispell, Montana, and connect San Diego and San Francisco with Bozeman, Montana. The Los Angeles and San Diego flights start May 20, and the San Francisco flight starts June 17. They’ll operate through Sept. 7.
This added summer flying builds on year-round service on three nonstop routes that connect San Diego with Missoula, Montana, and connect Los Angeles with Bozeman and Missoula.
Tickets for the new flights are available at alaskaair.com with one-way fares starting as low as $69 to and from Bozeman and as low as $89 to and from Kalispell.
Start Date
End Date
City Pair
Frequency
Aircraft
May 20, 2021
Sept. 7, 2021
Los Angeles – Kalispell
W, Sa
E175
May 20, 2021
Sept. 7, 2021
San Diego – Kalispell
M, F, Sa
E175
May 20, 2021
Sept. 7, 2021
San Diego – Bozeman
T, W, Th, Sa, Su
E175
June 17, 2021
Sept. 7, 2021
San Francisco – Bozeman
Sa
E175
The new routes will be served by the Embraer 175 jet, a jet aircraft with only window and aisle seating – no middle seats. On all the new routes, guests will enjoy award-winning service in a three-class cabin that includes First Class and Premium Class; Most Free Movies in the Sky with hundreds of movies and TV shows available for viewing on personal devices; free texting on most flights; and Wi-Fi connectivity for purchase.
Kalispell’s Glacier Park International Airport is in northwest Montana’s Flathead Valley, which encompasses the gateway to Glacier National Park, Whitefish Mountain Resort and Flathead Lake — the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River.
Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is the definition of “Big Sky Country” and about 90 miles north of Yellowstone National Park. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, Bozeman offers fishermen and hikers an abundance of options. Fly fish for trout on the Gallatin, Yellowstone, and Missouri Rivers. Follow Highway 191 for views of snow-capped mountains in Gallatin Canyon.
Global reach: With the oneworld alliance and Alaska’s Global Partners, Alaska’s guests can connect at gateway airports on the West Coast – such as Los Angeles and San Francisco – to fly to more than 900 destinations around the world. Flyers can also earn and redeem miles with the airline’s highly-acclaimed Mileage Plan program.
Alaska Airlines serves six cities in Montana: Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell and Missoula.
Alaska Airlines serves 15 cities in California: Burbank, Fresno, Los Angeles, Monterey, Oakland, Ontario, Orange County, Palm Springs, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Sonoma.
United Airlines (Nasdaq: UAL) today announced new convenient options for Hawaiian getaways this summer, offering the only nonstop flights between Orange County, California and Honolulu. The new route joins United’s previously announced service between Chicago and Kona and New York/Newark and Maui. With the additional new flights, United will offer nonstop service on more than 20 routes between the mainland and Hawaii. United’s Orange County – Honolulu service will be available for purchase on united.com beginning Saturday, February 13, 2021.
United has served Hawaii for more than 70 years and was the first airline to introduce service between the mainland and Kona and Maui in 1983. United remains a pioneer to the Hawaiian Islands with the launch of first-ever service between Chicago and Kona and between New York/Newark and Maui this summer. The new flights enable convenient travel times for customers connecting in Chicago and Newark from across the Midwest and East Coast. United’s service between Orange County’s John Wayne International Airport and Honolulu will be the only nonstop flight between Orange County and Hawaii and provides even more options for Southern Californians to get to Hawaii.
Qantas has today announced a major expansion to its regional network, adding seven new routes across New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria, in response to customer demand.
The announcement means Qantas will be flying to five more destinations across Australia than it was pre-COVID (up from 57 to 62). The airline also today begins flying direct from Sydney to Merimbula on the New South Wales Sapphire Coast for the first time.
NEW ROUTES
Route
Start date
Frequency (return flights per week)
Sydney – Griffith
1 Feb 2021
Daily
Melbourne – Newcastle
1 Feb 2021
Twelve
Melbourne – Merimbula
1 Feb 2021
Four
Melbourne – Mount Gambier
28 March 2021
Five
Melbourne – Wagga Wagga
28 March 2021
Four
Melbourne – Albury
28 March 2021
Four
Adelaide – Mount Gambier
28 March 2021
Five
Qantas is offering special fares for flights on the new routes from $125 one-way, available at qantas.com or through Travel Agents, until 20 December 2020, unless sold out prior.
The flights will largely be operated by the airline’s 50-seat Q300 turboprop aircraft, with upgraded cabin interiors, adding more than 320,000 seats to these regional destinations each year.
Qantas has already introduced a number of initiatives to encourage customers to book with greater flexibility, as well as to improve safety and peace-of-mind when travelling domestically through its Fly Well program.
ADDITIONAL FLIGHTS
– Melbourne-Gold Coast weekly flights will double – from daily to twice daily – from April 2021 with the new schedule to cater for both corporate and leisure travellers.
– Sydney-Orange flights will increase from three days per week to daily from February 2021.
– Melbourne-Launceston flights will be upgraded from a Q400 aircraft to a larger Boeing 717, adding more than 400 seats on the route each week.
– A number of seasonal routes originally scheduled for the summer have been extended to operate year-round, including Perth-Hobart, Canberra-Hobart, Sydney-Merimbula and Brisbane-Port Macquarie.
QantasLink CEO John Gissing said these new routes were a great opportunity for travellers to explore the best of regional Australia.
“As the national carrier, we have an important role to play in driving tourism and supporting the industry’s recovery,” said Mr Gissing.
“Before COVID, more than 11 million Australians travelled overseas each year, so these flights will help convert some of these international trips into domestic holidays instead.
“We know there is significant pent up demand for travel. These new flights will help more Australians explore some of the incredible places in their own backyard and drive tourism, which is so vital to the local economies of regional areas.
“We’ll be promoting these new flights to millions of our frequent flyers across the country in the lead up to the flights commencing next year.
“We’re also pleased to be able to offer locals more choice and competitive fares on these routes, most of which have been monopolies for years.”
Since domestic border restrictions started to ease in July, Qantas has announced or commenced flying on 13 new routes across Australia. Today’s announcement brings that number to 20.
Qantas has been progressively “waking up” its domestic and regional aircraft to support this new flying, with the vast majority of the airline’s regional fleet expected to be operational by early 2021.
“All our aircraft carry fixed costs, regardless of whether they’re grounded or not. We’d rather get as many aircraft back in the air as we can because it’s better for our business, our customers and gets more of our people back to work,” added Mr Gissing.
Qantas flights continue to have complimentary baggage and food and drink included with every seat. The airline has now opened 30 of its 35 domestic and regional lounges across its network.
Today is the last day to register for Qantas’ Status Fast Track initiative that has seen thousands of members from other airlines switching to Qantas Frequent Flyer to take advantage of the national carrier’s extensive lounge and flying network.
Qantas is also offering customers the opportunity to join its Frequent Flyer program for free until 31 January 2021 via qantas.com/freejoin. Travellers will be able to earn Qantas Points and Status Credits on the new routes as well as using their points to book flights.
The sports world was in mourning following news Sunday that Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven other people died died in a helicopter crash. Weather is believed to have been a contributing factor in the accident, as the conditions at the time were poor. The National Transportation Safety Board has sent a team of investigators to the site.
The helicopter reportedly departed John Wayne Airport in Orange County at 9:06 a.m. local time. The group was heading to the Mamba Sports Academy in Newbury Park. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that no flight plan had been filed. The Sikorsky S-76B helicopter was flying in low clouds and fog, and was operating under “special VFR” (special visual flight rules) status, requiring the pilot to be responsible for determining safe flying requirements in challenging weather conditions..
The helicopter crashed in foggy conditions on steep terrain in the mountains near Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas, California. The crash was reported to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The crash set off a small brush fire in the area. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze, but were not able to find any survivors.
Kobe Bean Bryant, born 23 August 1978; died 26 January 2020
New service increases flexibility for customers traveling between Los Angeles and San Diego
ORANGE, Calif. – Oct. 10, 2019 – The Amtrak® Pacific Surfliner® will soon offer an additional train in each direction between Los Angeles and San Diego, giving customers expanded options for travel along the southern California coast. Tickets can now be purchased for travel beginning October 14.
A schedule change, effective Monday, October 14, features the addition of a 13th Pacific Surfliner roundtrip between Los Angeles and San Diego. The new southbound Train 578 will depart Los Angeles at 1:15 p.m., arriving in San Diego at 4:12 p.m. Existing northbound Train 591 will be renumbered to Train 593. New Train 591 will depart San Diego at 5:25 p.m. and arrive in Los Angeles at 8:34 p.m.
“Each of the new trains will fill a nearly three-hour gap in our existing schedule, providing expanded possibilities for business and leisure travel between Los Angeles and San Diego,” said Al Murray, chairman of the Los Angeles–San Diego–San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor Agency, which oversees the Pacific Surfliner service. “We appreciate the support of the state of California, Amtrak, BNSF Railway, and our local member agencies in launching these additional trains, which mark the first expansion of Pacific Surfliner service in the past three years.”
The Pacific Surfliner travels along a 351-mile route through San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo counties, with portions of the route hugging the Southern California coastline. As part of the new schedule, minor changes are also being made to arrival and departure times of other Pacific Surfliner trains to improve reliability and coordination with other trains.
“This service expansion represents the initial benefit of a decades-long, multi-hundred million dollar capital investment by the state of California to add a third track and grade separations between Los Angeles and Fullerton, which will greatly expand capacity and reduce delays for passenger and freight trains on this busy rail corridor,” said Chad Edison, chief deputy secretary for rail and transit at the California State Transportation Agency.
“We look forward to adding additional passenger rail service in the near future, taking full advantage of the new frequencies enabled by the completion of this project.”
With almost 3 million riders in 2018, the Pacific Surfliner is the busiest state-supported intercity passenger rail route in the United States and will now offer a total of 26 trains a day between Los Angeles and San Diego.
All Pacific Surfliner trains feature comfortable, reclining seats with power outlets, Wi-Fi, bike and luggage racks, a free and generous baggage policy, and an onboard Market Café that offers fresh food, snacks and beverages, including California wines, cocktails and local craft beer.
“As the second busiest rail corridor in the United States, the Pacific Surfliner has generated significant demand for customers,” said Amtrak President and CEO Richard Anderson. “The LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency alongside the state of California had a vision to expand transportation and we are thrilled to see that investment realized. With service that connects major cities along the Southern California Coast – this increased service offers a significant benefit to customers.”
Ticketing and reservations are available onPacificSurfliner.com, Amtrak.com, Amtrak mobile apps, or by calling 800-USA-RAIL. Boarding documents can be self-printed, or customers using a smartphone or mobile device can present the eTicket to the conductor by opening a document in their email.
Alaska Airlines is adding new routes and additional frequencies.
SEATTLE, Aug. 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Alaska Airlines reaffirms its commitment to the West Coast with new, nonstop service from the Pacific Northwest and the state of Alaska in the north, and from San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego in the south.
Starting in early January, guests will be able to travel eight new routes, which will appeal to both leisure travelers and those flying for business. Tickets are now on sale. The new scheduled service will link these destinations:
Spokane to Los Angeles (two daily departures)
Spokane to San Francisco (two daily departures)
Redmond / Bend, Oregon to Los Angeles
Redmond / Bend, Oregon to San Diego
Redmond / Bend, Oregon to San Francisco
Boise to Los Angeles (two daily departures)
Missoula, Montana to Los Angeles
Anchorage to San Francisco
“We’re excited to offer even more nonstops between vibrant Pacific Northwest communities and our growing hubs in California,” said Brett Catlin, Alaska Airlines managing director of capacity planning and alliances. “Whether it’s travel for a weekend getaway to Missoula or a day trip to San Francisco, we’re proud to offer nearly 600 daily flights between West Coast cities.”
Alaska is also increasing the frequency of flights between certain markets:
Beginning Jan. 7, there will be an additional flight between San Francisco and Orange County, California, for a total of seven daily nonstops. On March 19, there will be the addition of a second daily flight between San Francisco and Chicago O’Hare.
On Jan. 7, the flight between San Diego and Orlando, which is currently flown five times a week, becomes daily nonstop service. Starting March 19, second daily flights will begin between San Diego and Boise, and San Diego and Santa Rosa, California. Also on March 19, nonstop service between San Diego and San Jose, California, increases from four to six flights daily. On May 21, a second daily flight between San Diego and Boston goes into service.
Alaska’s guests can connect with the airline’s Global Partners at gateway airports on the West Coast – such as Los Angeles and San Francisco – to fly to more than 900 destinations around the globe. Flyers can also earn and redeem miles with the airline’s highly-acclaimed Mileage Plan program.
A majority of the new routes will be served by the Embraer 175 jet, an aircraft with only window and aisle seating – no middle seats. On all of the new routes, guests will enjoy award-winning service in a three-class cabin that includes First Class and Premium Class; a fresh, seasonal food and beverage menu; Most Free Movies in the Sky with hundreds of movies and TV shows available for viewing on personal devices; free texting on most flights; and Wi-Fi connectivity for purchase.
Alaska has also renovated its airport lounges in Anchorage, Los Angeles and Seattle, with a brand-new lounge in San Francisco scheduled to open in 2020.
Alaska Airlines and its regional partners fly 46 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations with an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United States and to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. Alaska Airlines ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America” in the J.D. Power North America Airline Satisfaction Study for 12 consecutive years from 2008 to 2019. Learn about Alaska’s award-winning service at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 12, 2019 – As the greatest-ever Mustang performance lineup hits the streets, the 2020 Mustang Shelby GT350R picks up new performance tech and colors from its stablemates to make it more fun to drive on the track and off.
Enhancing handling and steering responsiveness, Shelby GT350R refinements for 2020 include redesigned front suspension geometry with a redesigned high-trail steering knuckle leveraged from the all-new Shelby GT500. To elevate driver confidence and steering precision, a new steering rack and recalibrated electric power steering control is also added.
“It’s always been our plan to take the latest innovations from the GT500 program and strategically apply them across the Mustang lineup,” said Ed Krenz, Ford Performance chief program engineer. “These latest updates to the GT350R keep its performance competitive and on the top if its game, whether that’s on the track or on the street.”
GT350R continues to also deliver against aggressive targets for weight reduction with a rear seat delete and carbon fiber wheels. Exhaust resonators also have been removed for weight savings with the benefit of creating a sharper exhaust tone.
For customers seeking more comfort in their Shelby GT350R, Ford offers an available Technology Package with a 12-speaker B&O premium sound system, Blind Spot Information System with Cross-Traffic Alert, Cobra Puddle Lamps and voice-activated navigation.
Also standard are carbon fiber wheels, larger front splitter and rear wing.
Standing apart from GT350, GT350R features distinct design details. Exterior touches include red painted brake calipers, red pin striping at the edges of the optional over-the-top racing stripes and Shelby GT350R badging. Inside is high-contrast red stitching, Shelby GT350R badging and the D-shaped steering wheel fitted with a red center mark at the top.
Shelby GT350 2020 Shelby GT350 carries over previous updates, including the latest advances in tire, aerodynamics and chassis technology. GT350 shares some new Mustang colors and new driver technologies. Grabber Lime and Twister Orange are two bright, new heritage feature colors that trace back to the 1970s, while new Iconic Silver and Red Hot Metallic provide some classic hues to the lineup.
FordPass Connect™, now standard on Mustang for 2020, allows owners to interact with their vehicles via a smartphone. Using FordPass Connect’s phone application, GT350 owners can locate their parked car, lock and unlock it, and check vehicle status, such as fuel, oil levels and maintenance alerts. The availability of these features varies by market.
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GT350, GT500 and Shelby are registered trademarks of Carroll Hall Shelby Trust. Horsepower and torque ratings are based on using fuel as per SAE J1349 standard; actual performance may vary.
